The Next Phase
' |image= |series= |production= 40275-224 |producer(s)= |story= |script= Ronald D. Moore |director= David Carson |imdbref=tt0708812 |guests=Michelle Forbes as Ens. Ro Laren, Thomas Kopache as Mirok, Susanna Thompson as Varel, Shelby Leverington as Brossmer, Brian Cousins as Parem and Kenneth Meseroll as McDowell |previous_production=I Borg |next_production=The Inner Light |episode=TNG S05E24 |airdate= 18 May 1992 |previous_release=I Borg |next_release=The Inner Light |story_date(s)=Stardate 45892.4 |previous_story=I Borg |next_story=The Inner Light }} Summary As the Federation starship Enterprise responds to a distress call from a Romulan ship which has suffered an on-board explosion, Ensign Ro and Lieutenant Commander La Forge are seemingly lost in a beam-in from the Romulan ship to the Enterprise. Ro and La Forge find themselves on the Enterprise, unable to interact with the ship or the crew, but able to interact with each other. While La Forge believes they are still alive, Ro sees Dr. Crusher make out their death certificates and believes they are dead; she tries to make peace with her former crewmates as they prepare a funeral service. Commander Data traces the cause of the transportation accident to the Romulan ship. Ro and La Forge go along with Data and Lt. Worf as they fly a shuttlecraft to the Romulan ship. Aboard, La Forge discovers a phase inverter device, and theorizes that he and Ro are out of phase, and thus undetectable. He also overhears the Romulan crew discussing a plan to transmit a signal to the Enterprise that will cause the warp core to explode the next time the ship enters warp. The two return with Data and Worf to the Enterprise to try to warn the crew, unaware that a Romulan, also out-of-phase, is following them. On board the Enterprise, La Forge watches Data as he analyzes the data from the Romulan ship, and discovers high levels of chronoton emissions, part of the failing of the transporter system. La Forge recognizes that by passing through objects on the ship, he can create those emissions, and tries to encourage Data to study them more, but fails. Ro encounters the Romulan, armed with a disruptor, and leads him on a chase through the walls of the crew quarters, releasing more chronoton radiation that catches Data's interest. When Data enters the room where the Romulan has cornered Ro, La Forge rushes the Romulan, causing him to fly through the external hull of the ship into space. La Forge recovers the disruptor. Although Captain Picard orders the ship into warp after their investigation is complete, Data cautions him to not do so until he completes a sweep of the ship with "anyon" particles to remove the chronoton radiation. Knowing that time is short before the ship will enter warp, Ro and La Forge head to their funeral—which has become more of a festive wake and celebration—and attempt to phase through objects. They fire the Romulan's disruptor to attract the attention of the attendees. When this does not work, Ro sets the disruptor to overload, causing a large burst of chronoton radiation. Data instructs the computer to sweep Ten Forward with anyon particles, causing Ro and La Forge to temporarily become visible in front of Data and Picard. Data deduces the fate of the crew members, and orders another massive flood of anyon particles, which brings Ro and La Forge back into phase. La Forge is able to warn Engineering about the warp core in time. He and Ro then join their "funeral" and celebrate with the rest of the crew. Errors and Explanations Plot Oversights # Troi not being able to sense Geordi and Ro. Their mental transmissions may be out of phase as well as their bodies. # Data stepping back when the door to the room where Ro is fighting the Romulan opens, thus allowing the currently invisible Geordi to enter. Data is attempting to preserve the personal space of the occupant who opens the door. # O'Brien not attending Geordi's 'funeral'. He may have been on duty. Equipment Oddities # Apparent disappearance of the piece of equipment Geordi and Ro were trying to beam back with. It's molecules were probably dispersed by the transporter. # Riker calling for the transporter chief BEFORE tapping his combadge. Likely a spur of the moment reaction. # The Romulan weapon still working, but Geordi and Ro's communicators suddenly failing. ''(Nit Central) Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 4:41 am:''On page 338 of the NextGen Guide II, Phil wondered why the Romulan's Phaser works, but Ro and LaForge's communicators do not. As I understand it the communicators transmit what you are saying to the computer and vice versa, since the communicator is phased so would the transmission, whereas the Phaser is a self contained unit not dependent on contact with the ship's computer. # The turbolift knowing which part of Deck 10 to take Picard and Riker to, when they leave the bridge for the memorial service. The computer is 'aware' of the gathering in Ten Forward. # The Bridge crew only reporting chroniton distortions in Ten Forward. That's because the disruptor pulse is more intense at the point it leaves the emmitter, resulting in the distortions to be concentrated in Ten Forward. # The explosion from the Romulan weapon not filling Ten Forward, while an overloading phaser in The Hunted requiring the sealing off and evacuation of an entire deck. The Romulan weapon was in a phased state, which may have reduced the explosive effects of an overload. In addition, the fact that it had been repeatedly fired, whereas the phaser in The Hunted was fully charged, meant the Romulan weapon had a depleted power cell. Internet Movie Database Errors in geography # When Captain Picard and Commander Riker are walking into the ready room where they are going to talk about the memorial service at 23:00 hours. You see Ro walk into the room from a rather impossible angle. She is in a phased state at this point, and thus able to pass through walls. Incorrectly regarded as goofs # Geordi La Forge and Ro Laren are accidentally cloaked and phased, meaning that they become invisible and their molecules pass through other matter (in other words, they are like ghosts). While it is questionable why, in this state, they are still able to touch certain items and don't pass through the floor, they obviously can still breathe and communicate with each other, given that they are in the same phase with each other. There is no reason to assume that there isn't any phased air around them as well, which would make these things possible to them. Besides, the unphased air is entering their lungs directly as they walk along. Plot holes # LaForge and Ro are supposedly out of sync with the real world and cannot touch objects. But they can move in a normal style propelling themselves against the floor, i.e. walking. Their phasing frequency is presumably low enough to allow this. Nit Central # goog on Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 4:48 pm: Why didn't Geordi and Ro fall through the floor? Dave on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 12:35 pm: Another flaw is that Geordi, Ro, and that Romulan are still solid to each other. If their molecular structure was truly phased then they should pass through each other as well. This episode indicates that their molecules were solid but they existed in a different space continuum. Does this make any sense? Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 4:41 am: Dave, I think if their molecular structure was phased at the same frequency(?) they would be solid to each other. #''Dave on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 12:35 pm:'' Also near the end Geordi tells Ro that he hasn't eaten for days, so I assume he hasn't drank any water either. I know humans (and also Bajorans) can survive for several days without food. But I wouldn't think they could survive very long without water. Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 4:41 am: I believe a person can survive without water for about 3 days. About a month without food. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 4:41 am: In the NextGen Guide Phil mentioned the Romulan sitting in the chair, but failed to mention that when he gets up, it wiggles. Perhaps the chair is phased to the same phase frequency ? Category:Episodes Category:The Next Generation